INSET HOUSE

Description: Private Residence

Location: WRIGHT, ACT

Year: 2014

Status: Complete

Photos: Brett Boardman Photography

The brief for this project was to create a residence for a young family in a new and rapidly developing Canberra suburb. The modest two-bedroom home incorporates a series of ‘insets’ that cut into the overall house form to create courtyards that take full advantage of the block’s long northerly side address.

The house steps down from the front of the block, which slopes downwards from the street towards the rear, creating upper and lower living areas. Internal louvres and mid-height joinery extend the penetration of light into living areas and bedrooms. Carefully positioned windows and private outdoor spaces further enhance the sense of refuge and privacy from close-dwelling neighbours.

Inset House represents a contemporary alternative to typical single-family houses appearing in many new Canberra suburbs and rethinks how a young family can live in a dense context surrounded by neighbours while enjoying a light-filled environment to live and recreate.